Step 1: Choose an articleFor Socratic Seminar, we will debate 2 current event articles in class for 15 minutes each. You will have to compose 2 thought-provoking discussion questions (using the question stems below) per article and bring those in with you the day of the seminar. You will not create questions until the whole class has selected their two topics.

Follow these guidelines when choosing an article:

1. Choose a current event article that has been published online in the last month; if it is earlier than that, it is no longer current. However, I understand that sometimes a particularly debatable event will have happened earlier than a month ago -- use your best judgement when selecting a topic.2. Stay away from articles about marijuana or abortion; those two topics have been debated for so long that there isn't much left to talk about. No one is going to change anyone's mind on either topic in fifteen minutes.3. Choose an article that the vast majority of your class will be able to discuss; if it is something that only appeals to you, the debate will crash & burn. 4. Choose an article that has many different discussion points and can be discussed from multiple points of view; if there is only one overwhelming majority opinion, it is not a good article. (i.e. Boston Marathon Bombing--nobody would argue that was a good thing to happen.)5. Find articles on websites of reliable news outlets. Do NOT go to any website like www.debate.org; it must be an article with facts, not simply people's opinions. You WILL NOT receive credit if your article comes from a website about debates/debate topics.

Step 2: Summarizing the debatability Article Summary:When you have found and read a debatable article, you will write a short summary of the article. In order to ensure that your article is debatable, you should also include a short summary that highlights WHAT IS DEBATABLE about your topic. Include evidence from your article to support your ideas. ​***** These summaries are turned in to be assessed, and they will factor into your grade. ***** Please type your responses. MLA format is expected.

Step 3: Generating questions for debate Below you will find a variety of sentence starters for your Socratic styled questions; use them at you see fit.

Socratic Seminar Question Stems:

As you prepare your questions for the Socratic Seminar, consider using these question stems to help you develop critical thinking questions instead of just comprehension questions.

​You willneed to come up with two questions per article topic (all posted on google classroom). Once you create your questions, you need to answer each question in 4 - 5 sentences. Doing so will provide you with questions to ask your classmates, as well as potential responses should someone else ask a question similar to one of yours.

***** Please type your work and have it printed for class time -- if you do not have a computer or a printer, be sure to use one in the library before class meets. This is the rule!

Good luck!

Reminder: If you do not come prepared for the seminar with your questions and responses, you will NOT be permitted to participate and will receive a zero on the assignment.​

Clarification Questions:

What do you mean by ?

What is your main point?

How does relate to ?

Could you put that another way?

What do you think is the main issue here?

Let me see if I understand you; do you mean or ?

(classmate 1), would you summarize in your own words what (classmate 2) has said?... (classmate 2), is that what you meant?

Could you give me an example?

Would this be an example: ?

Could you explain that further?

Could you expand upon that? Questions About the Initial Question or Issue:

How can we find out?

What does this question assume?

Would put the question differently?

How could someone settle this question?

Can we break this question down at all?

Is the question clear? Do we understand it?

Is this question easy or hard to answer? Why?

Does this question ask us to evaluate something?

Do we all agree that this is the question?

To answer this question, what question would we have to answer first?

I’m not sure I understand how you are interpreting the main question at issue.

Is this the same issue as ?

How would put this issue?

Why is this question important?

Does this question lead to other questions or issues?

ASSUMPTION PROBES

What are you assuming?

What is Erika assuming?

What could we assume instead?

You seem to be assuming . Do I understand you correctly?

All of your reasoning depends on the idea that . Why have you based your reasoning on rather than ?

You seem to be assuming . How would you justify taking this for granted?

Why would someone make this assumption?

Reason and Evidence Probes

Are these reasons adequate? ​

What would be an example?

How do you know?

Why do you think that is true?

Do you have any evidence for that?

What difference does that make?

What are your reasons for saying that?

What other information do we need?

Could you explain your reason to use? ​

Can you explain how you logically got from

Do you see any difficulties with their reasoning here?

Why did you say that?

What led you to that belief?

How does that apply to this case?

What would change your mind?

But is that good evidence to believe that?

Is there a reason to doubt that evidence?

Who is in a position to know if that is so?

What would you say to someone who said ?

Can someone else give evidence to support that response?

By what reasoning did you come to that conclusion?

How could we find out whether that is true? Origin or Source Questions:

Where did you get this idea?

Do your friends or family feel the same way?

Has the media influenced you?

Have you always felt this way?

What caused you to feel this way?

Did you originate this idea or get it from someone else? Implication and Consequence Probes:

What are you implying by that?

When you say , are you implying ?

But if that happened, what else would happen as a result? Why?

What effect would that have?

Would that necessarily happen or only probably happen?

What is the probability of this result?

What is an alternative?

If this and this are the case, then what else must also be true?

If we say that this is unethical, how about that? Viewpoint Questions:

You seem to be approaching this issue from perspective. Why have you chosen this rather than that perspective?

How would other groups/types of people respond? Why? What would influence them?